17

Before the alpha could respond, the omega lightly shrugged. “Maybe, after all, part of the reason does involve you.”

The alpha frowned. “We’ve been over for a long time, and I gave you compensation far beyond what was expected…”

“Shall I remind you?” The omega set his wine glass down. “It seems like you received far more from my parents than you ever gave.”

In the distance, the conversation Mr. A was having paused for a moment.

“Connections, money, status…” the omega muttered. “Although the price was having to live day and night with an extremely unattractive omega, even becoming his husband, in the long run, it was still worth it, wasn’t it?”

The alpha was stunned. Perhaps he never expected that the omega, who once was so timid and never dared to speak up, would now speak to him with such a soft tone yet sharp, cutting words.

He finally realized—too late—that the omega’s purpose in coming here might have been for him, but not to seek reconciliation. Instead, it was more likely to settle the score with him!

“You… you’re coming to talk to me about this now?!” His voice was low and urgent, desperately trying to suppress the turmoil of his pheromones. “I already have a fiancée, so stop disturbing my life! During those years we were married, I never did anything to wrong you. The divorce… you were the one who agreed and signed first. Now that I’m doing better, you’re chasing after me again?”

He let out a few cold, mocking laughs. “I know you still have connections, and there are plenty of people willing to help you. Are you planning on having that alpha who brought you here settle old scores for you? Don’t even think about it. I bet he’s never seen you like this before. Maybe he doesn’t even know you’re just discarded second-hand goods, thrown away by an alpha. For your own good, I advise you to stay in your place!”

He first pleaded, then resorted to threats, speaking with a mixture of persuasion and force. Omega stared at him, and suddenly, many past memories resurfaced.

“Using marriage to gain benefits, climbing up step by step…” He chuckled, not angered by his insulting words. “Many alphas wouldn’t be able to do what you did, but you managed it so effortlessly. Quite surprising, really.”

He furrowed his brow but still lifted his glass, taking a sip. 

” However, you’re mistaken,” Omega said, a slight smile on his face as he emphasized each word. “—I got in here on my own, with my own money.”

Alpha was taken aback. “…What?”

Omega raised an eyebrow, his tone laced with disbelief. “Is double the compensation really that much? It doesn’t even cover a third of what the contract specified. And you think it’s more than enough?”

Omega’s eyes were cold, and the smile on his lips was razor-sharp. “I have money. I have a lot of money—more than you, more than your fiancée’s family, even more than anyone else here at this banquet. In fact, my wealth is greater than all of theirs combined.”

He leaned in slightly, his voice dripping with disdain. “A mere invitation? What’s so hard about that? Do I really need to cling to somebody’s leg like you did? Just buy it. Pay for it. If 100,000 isn’t enough, add another million. If that’s not enough, add 10 million. If 10 million isn’t enough, add 50 million. It’s just a simple invitation. Is it really that difficult?”

Alpha’s expression shifted to one of shock. He desperately tried to recall the numbers he had once seen in Omega’s accounts and the assets he had known about. “You… how do you have that much money? I remember… I saw…”

Omega let out a soft chuckle, his eyes gleaming with indifference. “What you saw before was just a drop in the ocean,” he said, the words laced with a quiet mockery. “Back then, I didn’t have much of a concept of money. But now that I’ve learned how to spend it, I’ve realized just how much wealth I actually have.”

He sighed, his expression drifting into boredom. Suddenly, the confrontation he had longed for seemed less satisfying, as though the very thing he had been waiting for had lost its appeal.

When one steps out of the cycle that once bound them, reaching a higher level of self-realization, the people and things that once caused pain seem to lose their power. They become insignificant, no longer capable of instilling fear or anger.

Omega’s gaze remained unwavering, his voice calm yet cutting. “You’re right,” he said slowly, his eyes never leaving Alpha’s. “Just an hour ago, I was thinking over and over in my mind about how I would make you regret everything, how I would bring you to your knees. But the moment I heard you speak your first words, I decided to show you mercy.”

He paused, letting the weight of his words settle. “Because you’re afraid of me,” he continued. “You fear my revenge. That’s why you beg, threaten, and flaunt your bright future, trying to make me shrink back like I used to.”

Alpha opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Omega calmly looked at him, his voice steady but carrying a weight that was impossible to ignore. “But what you say no longer affects me. I have more status than you, more connections. My parents’ friends still stand by me, ready to support me. I’ll only keep improving, with many things ahead of me to learn and experience. But you? You’re still clinging to the benefits of marriage, desperately trying to climb the social ladder…”

He took a deep breath and handed the glass to the stunned Alpha. “Goodbye, ex-husband. From now on, we part ways. The past is behind us, and the future, well, it’s ours to walk separately.”

Omega took a few steps, then suddenly paused and turned around with a slight smirk. “Ah, I almost forgot to mention,” he said casually, “I think the industry your fiancée’s family is in is a bit risky. In a few years, there will probably be emerging industries that could replace it. But don’t worry, when that time comes, you can come to me for help. A little money? I can still afford that.”

Mr. A suddenly broke into a smile.

His lips curled up slightly, and his gaze softened. The friend standing next to him was completely taken aback. “Whoa, what’s with the sudden grin? You nearly gave me a heart attack!”

Mr. A quickly suppressed his smile and shot a cold glance to the side. “Get lost.”